Love, Lead, Serve

A Successful Day

Defining success is elusive. In fact, it’s one of the more personal determinations that we make. We’ve had some great examples of success with the recent Winter Olympic games. It’s easy to conclude that the gold medal is the only one worth having, but how good must bronze feel after a decade of sacrifice, training, and hard work?

One of the areas in which I struggle is achieving my idea of a successful day. I have a laundry list of repeating to-dos that include running the dishwasher, picking up toys, and making my bed. These are the simple tasks that must be done daily. Some days even the basics seem overwhelming. Of course, on top of those basic tasks are errands and special projects.

It’s easy for me to give up on the day when I get off to a rough start. Sometimes I peter out around lunch time when that midday lull temps me with a nap. Even harder is confronting the reality that most days are ordinary and each one feels very similar to the day before. There’s monotony that’s inherent in routine, but there’s also something deeper.

Today may feel a lot like yesterday, but its truly a whole new day. It’s ready to be crafted and formed; molded into the things that I need to accomplish. Each day presents me with a clean slate to do what it is that I need to do.

Keeping the house in order, feeding my family, watching over the kids, and helping them to explore their world are the things that I need to do every day. During nap time, I’ve committed to taking on projects like Catholic Husband. Writing is a chance for me to process and to grow personally. It’s only when I do the basics that I’m free to tackle the extracurricular.

The responsibility of raising children and caring for them daily is both wonderful and, at many times, unexciting. Grouchy attitudes quickly wear me down. In the moment, the importance of my role can be hard to recognize. It’s my hope that by persevering through these seemingly insignificant days, my children grow up confident from a childhood rooted in love.AuthorCard

Catholic Husband is the home for the writings of Chet Collins since 2013. He writes on topics that include marriage and family life. This blog is here to help inspire you to love, lead, and serve your family. It includes a historical archive of over 800 unique posts.